DMS Eagle News (2/11/24)

Eagle Families,

• Don't forget - Feb 14th is last day to order a Yearbook at the discounted price. See below for info and links.
• Reminder that the HSC fundraiser with Krispy Kreme lasts for the entire month of February. To participate just click the link below for the order form. Use the form linked below, order your dozen(s) of donuts to get the redemption code and then either pick them up at your local store or 'gift' the code to anyone. Help us reach our goal of 100+ dozen ordered.
  Link to Order Form
• Parents of English Learners-please save the date! Our next District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) meeting will be held on February, 29th from 3:15-4:15 on Zoom. We will be presenting information about the ELPAC, Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and our teacher leaders from our district EL Committee will share updates from each of their school sites. We hope to see you there! District employee, Paulina Meza, will be simultaneously translating the meeting for our Spanish-speaking parents. The Zoom link will be shared with parents through Parent Square.
• Atención padres de estudiantes de inglés: Nuestra próxima reunión del Comité Asesor Distrital de Estudiantes de Inglés (DELAC) se llevará a cabo el 29 de febrero de 3:15 a 4:15 por Zoom. Presentaremos información sobre ELPAC, Plan de Responsabilidad de Control Local (LCAP) y nuestros maestros líderes de nuestro Comité EL del distrito compartirán actualizaciones de cada uno de sus sitios escolares. ¡Esperamos verle ahí! Nuestra enlace comunitaria, Paulina Meza, traducirá simultáneamente la reunión para nuestros padres de habla hispana. El enlace de Zoom sera enviado a traves de Parent Square

• USD Health and Wellness Fair - March 23rd from 2-4pm @ UMS. An Afternoon of Healthy Fun for the Whole Family! - Activities and Fun Exhibits For All Ages including a Bike Rodeo and Safety Tips, SJPL Maker[Space] Bus, Therapy Assistance Dogs, and more! Connect with USD Teams supporting Student Nutrition and Health, as well as Health & Wellness Providers in our Community. Enjoy Musical and Cultural Performances by USD Students and take a look at the annual USD Student Writing and Art Showcase by our talented student authors, artists and performers. Link flyer to: https://fb.me/e/xnp3hPjvH

• The TUPE-Tobacco Use and Prevention Team at the Santa Clara County Office of Education is focused on what parents need to know about vaping nicotine and cannabis products. This presentation will provide you with ways to help educate yourself and your child on the harmful effects of vaping nicotine and cannabis products. Please join us for an hour-long presentation on February 15th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Please use this link to join the meeting.
• End of Year Activities/Graduation Form and Info Request
• DMS will be hosting the Relay for Life again this year in late April. See the flyer/QR code HERE for more details.

Happening Soon:

• USD Board Meeting - Feb 12th
• HSC Meeting - Feb 13th
• TUPE Parent Meeting - Feb 15th

On the Horizon:

• President's Week Break - Feb 19-23
• March Band Concerts - March 5 & 7
• USD Board Meeting - March 11
• HSC Meeting - March 12
• 7th grade Trip - March 14
• 6th grade Social - March 14
• PD Day - No School - March 15
• 8th grade Spirit Game - March 22
• USD Health and Wellness Fair - March 23
• Band Elementary School Tour - March 28
• End of Q3 - March 29

Ordering for our DMS Yearbook has now opened. Make sure to get your order in to insure you have a record of your Eagle's 23-24 school year and all the memories associated with it. The yearbook is hard cover and in full color.

Early bird pricing is $35 - this is available until ​Feb 14.
Pricing after that is $40 and the deadline is ​April 5.

DMS Yearbook Order Link

• We are beyond thrilled to announce the upcoming 2024 USD Creativity Showcase! Our theme is Technicolor Dreams. All of our TK through 8th grade students are invited to submit their creative work via our website.

  Masterpieces will be displayed and shared at USD’s Health & Wellness Community Event on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 at Union Middle School.

  For full details about this event please visit bit.ly/USDshowcase. Please direct any questions regarding this event to showcase@unionsd.org.

Branham Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is in search of parents who would be willing to join the PTSA Board for the 2024-2025 School Year. Many of our current board members have graduating seniors or have reached the term limit for their current position. We need Branham parents to step in and take leadership roles. When you volunteer with the PTSA you will not only be supporting the Branham community, but you will also get the chance to meet and work with other Branham parents, students, teachers and staff in a positive, fun environment. The Elected board positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Other Board Positions include Parliamentarian, Auditor, Hospitality Chair, Programs Chair, Communications Chair, Membership Chair, Mini-Grant Chair, and Grad Night Chair. All positions are open to the community.

Currently the open positions for which no one has expressed interest include:
PTSA BOARD OPEN POSITIONS
Treasurer
Parliamentarian
Auditor
Communications Chair
Membership Chair
Grad Night 2025 Chair

Please contact me at branhamptsainfo@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the board or if you have any questions about any of the positions listed above.
Thank you for supporting the Branham PTSA!
Jill Brigham
Branham PTSA President

Listos California has created a disaster readiness hub. This easy to use website provides you with information on how to stay safe in different types of disasters. Disaster Readiness

• Please make sure you always check in through the front office if you wish to visit DMS during our campus hours (8:10-3:05). We want to make sure everyone on campus has gone through the proper procedures. Thanks.
• Our website announcements can be found HERE. Information on clubs/activities can often be found in these announcements so you will want to bookmark this. Your student has access (under their USD account) to the morning announcements - which has even more information.
  
• Our students social and emotional well being is important to us. If students are suffering and need help we are here for them. In addition to the DMS staff, they can reach out in other ways. See this info flyer HERE.
• Our DMS School Compact is located HERE.
• Wonder what's for snack and lunch? You can check out the menus for DMS HERE.
• Is your student having a conflict with others that needs mediated? DMS has an EMT (Eagles Mediation Team) that may help. Students can complete an EMT form (located in ClassLink) and get help from fellow Eagles who have been trained in peer conflict mediation. More serious conflicts can be mediated by staff.

Join the Union School District Team!

• Become a Substitute (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, and Food Service positions available). Apply today: Teaching Positions | Other Positions

• Get a full or part time position (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, Food Service, and Extended Care positions). Apply today on EdJoin.

• Become a noon duty aide. Contact your school front office for more information.

The Union School District is proud to continue our partnership with We Tip. WeTip is designed to serve as a resource for students who experienced or observed school-related bullying, racism, harassment, vandalism or other inappropriate behaviors. Once a report is filed, WeTip will contact our Student Services in our Learning and Innovation Department with the specifics of the incident, and Student Services will work with the administration, counselors, and other school staff.

Through WeTip, the anonymity of the person reporting is maintained. Students and parents are also encouraged to contact school staff directly to report inappropriate behaviors because this typically provides us with more detailed and helpful information. A We Tip report can be submitted via the We Tip hotline (844) 408-0580 or online using this link.

You'll be hearing a lot about SOAR this year. What is it? It represents our DMS school wide expectations. Safety, Ownership, Acceptance and Respect. Our first week of school your Eagles learned what those look like in various areas of the campus (restrooms, blacktop, lunch area, hallways, etc...) and our goal is for all students to exhibit those expectations. Students may receive our Eagle tickets for doing so. Those can be used to enter our weekly drawings for DMS swag and a pizza party. Throughout the year, we will highlight aspects of these expectations in the newsletter so you can partner with us as we strive to SOAR.

USD is committed to the well-being of our students, staff, and families to create a safe and healthy learning environment. In support of our ongoing commitment, USD has partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care for our community.

Care Solace helps individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in your community.

Students, staff, and families may access Care Solace services in two ways:

• Call (888) 515-0595 at any time. Support is available in 200+ languages. A dedicated Care Companion™ will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
• For an anonymous search, answer a few questions to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at www.caresolace.com/unionsd.

Care Solace is now available for use at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance. All information entered on the Care Solace tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory to use. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255. If you are interested in counseling-related services for your child, yourself, or another family member, please contact Care Solace for valuable assistance. This is a complimentary resource provided by Union School District.

We wanted to let you know attendance will be a top priority. When children miss school days, they miss out the opportunity to learn from their teachers. The more children miss, the harder it is for them to keep up with those who attend school regularly. While some absences are unavoidable for health reasons or other important family matters, but we also know that even when children have missed school for good reasons, too many absences can cause them to fall behind.

Let’s work together to make sure that your child does no fall behind in school this school year. Please ensure that your children attends school every day and also arrives on time so they benefit as much as possible from what is taught in the classroom. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime,

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Establish a morning routine.

• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick (e.g child has a fever, is throwing up or has diarrhea versus a minor stomach ache or runny nose.)

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.

• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Please watch this short video on the importance of attendance.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is a federal initiative designed to provide food assistance to students who have been impacted by the pandemic and are missing out on meals that would have been provided at school. This program aims to replace those meals with a monetary benefit that can be used to purchase food.

P-EBT benefits are being distributed to all students who attended Union School District last year. The California Department of Education has determined eligibility for P-EBT cards based on the District's status, rather than the individual status of each student. Beginning this month, P-EBT cards containing a benefit amount of $120 have been mailed to student's home mailing address. These cards function like debit cards and can be used at locations where CalFresh Food benefits are accepted.

Families who determine the P-EBT benefits are not necessary can drop off their cards at a collection box which will be made available in the front office area at each school. The District is working with the California Department of Education on redistributing returned P-EBT cards to students who are in need of these benefits.

Don't forget to visit the HSC website so you can donate. Donations go towards many academic and extra-curricular program funding at DMS. There are also opportunities to volunteer.

DSM HSC Website

Have you visited the DMS Store yet? If not, you're missing out. It's the easiest way to purchase your student's PE clothes, lock and planner. It's also a great way to show your Eagle pride by purchasing DMS apparel. Finally, you can place your athletic donations from there as well.

DMS Store Website

Email: boggss@unionsd.org
Website: https://dartmouth.unionsd.org
Location: 5575 Dartmouth Drive, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: 408-264-1122
Twitter: @DartmouthMS